If property owner asks me to take care of rentals, do the tenants need notice

[Vickie Bruce]

An elderly lady who owns rentals next door to me has moved away since her husband passed.  She has asked me if I could take care of an eviction for her.  Do the tenants need to be officially notified for me to help the lady?

[Jill F.]

In Ohio you could manage properties for her even if you are not a licensed real estate agent working under a licensed broker so long as you were her w-2 employee or you were doing it for free. You could not however, represent her in court in any capacity other than as a witness. If you posted the required notices for her you would have to show up in court on eviction day to be a witness. If she owns the property in her name (not an LLC) she could represent herself in court. In Ohio the property manager can't represent the owner in court either see Cleveland Bar Association v. Picklo, (2002), 96 Ohio St.3d 195